Abstract: This invention describes methods for the identification of enzymes from the enolase superfamily with racemase activity for industrial applications. The methods comprise obtaining a micro-organism which requires the enzyme with the acquired racemase activity to grow in a selective medium. The micro-organism is transformed with a gene encoding the enzyme, grown in the selective medium supplemented with a substrate of the racemase, and one or more micro-organism(s) that is able to grow in the supplemented selective medium is then isolated, thereby identifying the enzyme with the acquired activity. The methods further comprise genetic alterations of the genes that encode enzymes resulting in the acquired racemase.